Surviving Navy SEAL Hell Week (Hour by Hour)

Here’s a sanitized version of the provided transcript, with sensitive content removed or altered for appropriateness:

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An M4A1 carbine begins firing within the dark tent. Men fall off their bunks as the room illuminates with each muzzle flash. “Grenade! Everybody out!” someone yells. The sailors sprint out of the tent and onto the sands of a damp beach. Waiting for them are several officers with serious expressions. “Welcome to Hell Week, boys,” one of the officers says. “Grab your IBS and get in the water.”

**14 days before Hell Week**

Cadet Fin eagerly awaits the officer in front of the group of Navy SEAL applicants to finish his speech. He is obviously trying to motivate some of the more hesitant recruits out of BUD/S training so that only the strongest and most dedicated sailors make it through the program. Fin joined the Navy straight out of high school. He was smart but had struggled to keep his grades up while working close to 40 hours a week to support his family after his father had passed away. Fin had planned to pursue engineering, but with limited resources and a less-than-average GPA, the military was his best option. Joining the Navy would turn out to be both the best and most challenging thing he would ever do.

During basic training, Fin showed himself to be a capable leader and exceptionally strong, likely from moving heavy boxes in a warehouse every day for the last two years. One of his Navy friends suggested he should apply to the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school. Becoming a Navy SEAL would be an accomplishment Fin knew his father would be proud of, and the more he looked into it, the more he realized how badly he wanted it. Fin had been warned that the months of training would take a toll on him, but there was one week—nicknamed Hell Week—in which his limits would be truly put to the test, and his body would be forced to do things that he didn’t even think were possible. Fin trained and studied hard until he received his acceptance letter into BUD/S. Now, he has finally started, and the countdown to Hell Week has begun.

Every day, the instructors push the cadets hard. They tell them that it’s all to prepare them for what is to come. Each sailor has been put into a six-man boat crew where close bonds are formed. Each group is responsible for carrying their IBS, or Inflatable Boat, Small, practically everywhere they go. After only a few days of training, Fin becomes the de facto leader of his crew after the other men see just how resilient and clever he is. Each boat crew becomes a tight-knit unit, which is good as they will need to rely on each other for what is to come.

The cadets are put through countless drills and exercises. Throughout the day, they are ordered to paddle their IBSs into the pounding surf along the Southern California coastline. After exhausting themselves just to get past the break, the instructors tell them to paddle back to shore, where they are immediately thrown into the next training regiment. At the end of each week, they must complete a 4-mile timed run and obstacle course. Fin does well in all of these tasks, but he especially excels in the 2-mile daily swims. He was a star on the swim team in high school before he had to drop the sport to pick up more hours at work.

Unfortunately, not everyone in BUD/S can keep up with Fin and the other cadets. Any candidate who doesn’t meet the time requirements for the running and swimming tests is told to pack their bags and try again next year.

**1 day before Hell Week**

Fin awakes at 0400 on Saturday. The day begins just like every other. Between 0400 and 0600, the cadets go through physical training. Fin found out that this is the preferred time for physical activity due to the cooler temperatures. Instructors walk around with hoses spraying cold water as the sailors complete each exercise. When it’s Fin’s turn, his muscles tense for the shocking chill that accompanies being covered in cold water before the sun begins to rise.

After completing two hours of physical training, the cadets rush into the mess to eat breakfast and change into dry clothes. Fin and the others throw on their inspection uniforms and wait at attention as the instructors scrutinize every inch of them. Fin has learned the hard way that if the instructor doesn’t see his own reflection in the boots, he will be ordered to jump into the ocean and swim laps in his uniform, which he will then be required to wear for the rest of the day.

At 0800, the cadets start their first class of the day, which can range from first aid to boat operations. This hour-long break from the grueling physical training that consumes most of each day is Fin’s favorite. He enjoys the learning part but enjoys resting even more to allow his body to recover and prepare for what is to come. For the remainder of the morning, they will do more running, swimming, and paddling. Between 1100 and 1200, the cadets scarf down their lunches before heading back to the obstacle course for more training.

At 1630, the instructors release the class to have dinner and rest for the following day. However, this evening is different. There is apprehension in the air as every cadet knows that Hell Week will begin tomorrow. Fin listens to nervous conversations as he eats and mentally prepares for what is to come. He knows that the physical toll that the next week will take on his body will be harsh, but the mental toll tends to drive most recruits out of the BUD/S program during Hell Week.

Fin finishes eating and returns to his bunk. He takes a few deep breaths to try and clear his mind, but he knows that at any point after midnight, the hardest several days of his life will begin. The crazy part is that Fin will need to complete about 20 more weeks of training after Hell Week. But he knows that if he can get through the next six days, he can get through anything. Rather than sleeping in the barracks, the cadets are sleeping on cots in large tents behind the BUD/S compound.

Before trying to get some rest, Fin checks his dry bag one last time for the clothes and food he stored to help him get through the week. Each cadet was allowed to pack their sea bag with dry clothes and a few other things to use during Hell Week. Fin had hidden a few snacks in his pockets for a pick-me-up during the next several days. Having outside food was prohibited, but Fin had been told by other sailors that sometimes you have to cheat a little to get through Hell Week. However, he was warned not to get caught, or there would be consequences. Having his favorite snacks to look forward to during the hardest parts of the training was worth the risk for his mental sanity.

Fin knew he would be eating well during Hell Week as the sailors were fed three solid meals daily to ensure they could replenish their strength. That being said, what they receive for nourishment during Hell Week, they would willingly give up for a decent night’s sleep. It is well known among the men in the tent that tonight will be the last sleep some of them will get for the next week.

Eventually, Fin drifts off to the sounds of whispered conversations between his classmates on what they expect the following day. He hears someone in a cot across the row praying. All he can do is try to squeeze as much rest from the remaining hours before the challenges begin.

**Sunday 0000, the moment Hell Week begins.**

The instructors burst into the tent, firing M4A1 carbines filled with blanks. They shout and throw smoke grenades. Fin rolls out of his cot onto the sand and begins to army crawl towards the tent’s opening. He makes it out onto the beach and looks around as flashes illuminate the insides of the other tents. “Get to the compound!” one of the officers yells. Fin looks around for his boat crew. Everyone is accounted for. They take off towards the BUD/S compound as fast as they can.

The cadets line up and silently listen as an officer gives instructions from a raised platform. “Welcome to Hell Week, boys,” the officer says. “There is one rule and only one rule you need to follow: do what you’re told when you’re told, or you’ll be out.”

**Sunday 0100, Day 1 of Hell Week.**

The instructor orders the men to return to their tents. Fin walks through the opening to find that everyone’s dry bags have been opened, and the contents have been scattered across the sand. Fin and the others pick up their belongings. He sees a bright wrapper sticking out of the sand. The instructors found his hidden stash, opened it, and mixed it with sand. Fin frowns and puts his clothes back inside his dry bag only to find that it has several slashes in it, completely eliminating its waterproof quality. He sighs and begins helping his crewmates gather their belongings.

From outside the tent, an instructor yells for the cadets to hurry up and get back on the beach. Fin and his crew hustle out of the tent and stand by their IBS. “For the remainder of the week, wherever you go, your boat goes,” the instructor says. No matter what activity the sailors are engaged in, even if it is a run on land, they carry their IBS atop their heads and bring it with them unless otherwise ordered. The instructor orders all of the men to grab their dry bags and swim out into the breakers until he tells them to come back. Fin grabs his bag and runs into the chilly water. It is around 58 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that hypothermia can set in anytime between 1 and 6 hours if the sailors can’t keep their body temperatures up.

The instructors stand on the shoreline in completely dry, warm clothing, complaining about how cold it is. After an hour in the water, the instructors order the cadets to return to the beach. Fin steps onto the sand and looks into his dry bag. As expected, everything is soaked. The reality of being wet, cold, and miserable for the next week settles in. Fin frowns, but he wants this bad. He jogs up the beach and stands by his IBS, waiting for the rest of his crew to arrive.

**Sunday 0300.**

The instructors tell the cadets to put their soaked-through dry bags on their cots and get back to their IBSs. They are informed that they are about to do a landing on the rocky shoreline in the darkness of night. The instructor muses that most of them will likely get thrown against the rocks by a big wave. “Anyone want to quit before you are battered on the jagged shoreline?” the instructor asks. Fin keeps his eyes straight ahead, but he can’t help but notice that a few men move out of the corner of his eye. Sailors are already starting to drop out, and they are only 3 hours into Hell Week.

Fin and his crew paddle out into the surf zone. His arms burn, but they make it past the break. He looks back and sees that several IBSs have been washed all the way back to shore. Others are capsized in the water, with their crews desperately trying to flip them. On the shoreline, two bright flashing lights appear, indicating that the first group of IBSs should attempt the landing. Fin watches as the two boats ahead of him make their way back towards the coast. The boats disappear behind a small rocky island.

More and more time passes without another signal for Fin’s group to proceed. They wait just beyond the surf, filled with anticipation. Suddenly, a red flare shoots up into the sky. This is the signal to abort the landing. Apparently, the first group didn’t do so well, and the activity is deemed too dangerous even for Hell Week. The remaining IBSs pull onto shore to the right of the original landing zone. Flashing lights can be seen above the dunes. Several cadets are being loaded into ambulances. Their time in BUD/S is over.

**Sunday 0500.**

The instructors order those who remain to carry their IBS across the beach to a set of piers a couple of miles away. Once there, Fin and the other sailors are ordered to start treading water while the instructors sip on warm coffee and watch. The sun begins to peak over the land to the east. “Alright, men, remove your pants and inflate them!” one of the instructors yells. Everyone takes off their pants in the water, fills them with air, and ties them off as trained in boot camp. After struggling to inflate his pants, Fin lays back and floats. He doesn’t know how long he is in the water, but by the time the instructors call the men back in, the sun is above the horizon, and he is shaking uncontrollably.

**Sunday 0645.**

Breakfast is served along with hot coffee. The sailors are too tired to talk; all they can do is eat and warm their hands against their mugs. Fin looks around the mess hall and notices that the number of men there has been noticeably reduced since Hell Week began just 6 hours ago.

Once breakfast is over, the instructors order everyone back onto the beach. Fin and his crewmates grab their IBS and carry it to an obstacle course. They are told to keep running through the course until someone tells them to stop. It is a very long time before this happens. The men are drenched in sweat yet somehow still shivering. They are ordered back into the ocean to tread more water before being told to come back on land and to start running with their IBS on their heads. It is a grueling day.

As the sun begins to set on day one of Hell Week, the cadets are brought to the BUD/S compound, where doctors are waiting to examine each sailor. Fin sits on a cot as the doctor takes his pulse and temperature. He examines Fin from head to toe. There is a slight fear that the doctor will tell him he is unfit to continue, and his dream of becoming a Navy SEAL will be over right then. Instead, the doctor checks off several boxes and looks at Fin. “You’re all clear. I’ll see you tomorrow for another checkup. Oh, and good luck with the rest of your week, sailor.” Fin walks back to his crew. They all pass their physicals and head to dinner.

**Sunday 2000.**

The cadets return to their tents and lay on their cots. Less than an hour later, the instructors burst into the tent. “Everyone out!” they shout. There will be no rest tonight. The men are told to grab their IBSs and paddle out past the break. Fin grits his teeth. The top of his head is already starting to chafe. His crew makes it to the rendezvous spot and waits. Fin looks back at the beach. He sees several shadows walking away from the shoreline. More men have quit.

**Monday 0530**

For the entire night, the sailors were in the water doing different maneuvers. They landed several times and were ordered back out into the ocean to do it all again. Sunrise comes, and the cadets are instructed to land on the beach once again. Throughout the night, they drifted away from their tents and the compound. Now, they have to carry their IBS all the way back, jogging on the sand with zero sleep. By the time they reach the compound, Fin is too tired to eat. He forces himself to get some food into his body and drinks as much water as possible without feeling sick.

The day feels very similar to the one before it. The cadets are put through brutal drills without any breaks. All the while, the instructors try to demoralize the sailors. It is a battle of wills at this point. The officers are trying to break the cadets both physically and mentally. Fin keeps his head down and pushes on. All he and his crewmates can do is follow their orders and count down the seconds until their next meal.

**Monday 1900**

The sun started setting around 1630, and it was dark by 1800. After dinner, the cadets are ordered back into the ocean to swim long distances along the shoreline. With the sun gone and the cold Pacific waters battering his body, Fin begins to shiver even while swimming. The men all around him slow their pace as their muscles both burn and ache from the cold. One of the instructors orders the men out of the water and to line up side by side along the beach. Everyone shakes as the officer walks back and forth in a warm coat, examining the men.

Another instructor strolls up to the line of shivering men with a smile. He drops a box onto the sand, reaches in, and pulls out a thick blanket. “Any takers?” he asks. For a moment, no one moves. Then, cadet after cadet steps out of line and takes a blanket. The instructors hand each quitter a warm cup of coffee and some snacks. They then order them to sit in front of the men, still standing at attention while they eat and drink, covered by their warm blankets.

After this brutal mind game is over, the instructors order the remaining men back into the water. The demoralized sailors make their way to the bay and dive in. The cold water immediately causes Fin’s body to seize up and convulse. The shaking is incredibly painful. He watches as, one by one, more men swim back to shore to take a blanket and end their time in Hell Week. A tear rolls down Fin’s cheek. He could have sworn that on its way down his cold skin, it turned to ice.

Within minutes of being back in the water, 12 other cadets quit. The instructors decide that is good enough and tell the remaining men they can come back to shore. Fin and his crewmates are not allowed to rest the entire night, but at least they do not have to go back into the water.

**Tuesday 0800.**

After breakfast, Fin and his crewmates make their way back to the beach. They look like zombies, as none of them has gotten more than an hour of sleep in the past three days. When they reach their IBSs, they notice that the instructors have changed out of their usual combat boots for rubber waders. Whatever comes next will be messy.

“Today, we are heading to Camp Swampy,” says one of the instructors. Fin and his crew grab their IBS and put it on their heads. They then begin the 8-mile hike along the coast to The Mud Flats, where the Tijuana River empties into the Pacific Ocean along the Mexico border. The mix of sediment and muck creates a unique opportunity for the Hell Week instructors to be exceptionally challenging.

For the entirety of the day, Fin and the other cadets conduct drills in the mud. The thick sludge of the swamp is like wading through wet concrete. Camp Swampy claims boots from the sailors’ feet and dashes the hopes of making it to the end of Hell Week for some sailors. Whenever the cadets become too dry with mud caked all over their bodies, they are ordered to jump into the ocean and dive to the bottom. Then, the instructors send them back to the swamp to conduct more exercises in the mud. The instructors even order Fin and the other cadets to put